Hello, I am Shelley Quinn
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and welcome again
to Issues and Answers.
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We hope that you are having a
wonderful day wherever you are.
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And we thank you,
for this opportunity
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to come in to your home whether
you are in Japan or China,
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Australia, New Zealand,
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wherever you
are around the world
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we are so thankful
that we could be come in.
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And today we've got a
really interesting issue.
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We are going to be talking
about "Unfinished Business."
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And the business I am referring
to is the Father's business.
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The last great command
that Jesus gave His people
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before leaving earth
is found in Matthew 28:18
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and He approach the
people and here's what He said,
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"All authority has been given
unto Me under heaven and earth.
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Therefore I am telling
you go and make disciples
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of all nations, baptizing them
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in the name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit,
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teaching them to
observe every thing
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that I have
commanded you, and lo,
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I am with you always,
even to the end of the age."
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What is the unfinished business?
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Are we making
disciples of all nations
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in the authority of Jesus
Christ that He has granted us?
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Please help me
welcome to discuss this,
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returning to us once
again, its Ken and Julie Norton.
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And we are so
thankful that you've come back.
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Thank you. Thank you.
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Now, Julie, you
all are with LIFE,
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that's and acronym, L-I-F-E.
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What does that stands for?
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Lay Institute for
Evangelism and basically
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we are a training
school for normal people
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that work in a business
world or where ever they are.
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You know, many people feel
a passion to want to reach out
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into their
community and they feel like
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maybe they don't know how.
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So our lay training school that
sometimes we put training online
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and they can access
these training online.
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That's
wonderful. Now you also have
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onsite training
programs at your camp?
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We do. We have some
onsite campus base programs.
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And tell me a
little bit about that.
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Well, we have a summer program
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that is targeted
for young people.
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Maybe kids that
are in high school
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and they want
to learn how to do,
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teach people how
to-- we teach them
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how to give Bible
studies to people,
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how to do the
evangelistic small groups.
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And then we also have a program
called Operation Mission LIFE
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and that starts in the fall.
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And that's for church
members that want to take
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a year out to do mission work,
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not only here in the
States but also overseas.
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How wonderful is that.
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That I know is a
four month program
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you told me before. It is.
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And you actually even
train them in the language.
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Yes, we do. That makes then
very effective when they go.
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You are part of the
Seventh-day Adventist church,
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you're ministry of the
Seventh-day Adventist church
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and it is correct
that you are operated
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by the Adventist Layman Services
and Industries. Is it right?
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That's correct. That's good.
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All right, last time that
you were here we talked about
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"The American Church in Crises."
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But what we want to do
this time is talk about
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what's going on around the
world with the Christian church.
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And I am just going to let--
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throw the ball to you
and let you run with it.
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Well, I am glad
that you opened up with
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Matthew 28:18-20 because
that really is, you know,
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when you look at
the New Testament church
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and you look how it
exploded, its exciting that
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they were based
upon that one passage.
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That was--went through
their mind all the time.
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That's what I take as
I read the New Testament.
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They were
passionate about people,
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learning about Jesus Christ
and teaching them all the things
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that He had taught them.
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Couple of things
that we often gloss over
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when we read this and something
I want to pull out here.
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And you began with
His statement by saying,
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"All authority has been given
to me in heaven and on earth."
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You know, as we--
we've been missionaries.
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We were in
Thailand for two years
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and also on the Island
of Palau for two years.
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And when you get into
difficult, difficult situations
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and you wonder why you are there
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and even situation
that are life threatening
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this comes back because He says,
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all authority
has been given to me.
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We are not there on my own.
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I am not there
on my own strength.
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We are not there thinking that
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what we are gonna do is
gonna save these people.
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We say, Jesus, You've said
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You got all authority
and You told us to go.
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So that's what
we are resting upon.
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Amen. And--
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So we really appreciate
when He preempts to go saying,
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"All authority has
given to me in heaven
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and on earth, go therefore."
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It's just, it's
charge, we go, yeah, you know.
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Because you know
you are going out
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in the authority of Jesus Christ
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and not trying to do this in
your own strength. That's right.
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Well, what is going on
in the world, you know,
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of course as
Adventist the Adventist church
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has a very
strong mission program
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and very mission driven but
we're talking now just not about
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Adventism but we are talking
about Christianity as a whole.
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Adventist Christians are only
a portion of the body of Christ,
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there are other
Christian churches.
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What's going on around the world
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as far as this great work of
filling this great commission?
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Well, we titled it
today "Unfinished Business"
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which lets us
know that there are
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still large works to be done.
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And so there are some
statistics that we found
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in our research that
we though we would share,
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that are very interesting.
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Thirty three
percent of the world,
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one third of the
world claims Christianity.
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That would be catholic,
Episcopalian, Adventist,
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you know, they some how
claim the name of Christ.
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That means 66% of the
world are not Christian.
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Now I am interested to
know about that 60%--66%
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because if we are supposed
to go and make a disciples
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that's the group we
need to be targeting.
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It's very interesting that,
oh, I actually need to give you
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the total number, it's
about 4.5 billion is that 66%.
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4.5 billion people who
don't know Jesus Christ.
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Who have not chosen to
follow Him or be His disciple.
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That's correct. Of that group,
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4.5 billion of
them are what we call--
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no, no, no, 4.5
billion is the total group,
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2.5 billion are
evangelized, right.
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That means they are in a place
that they can hear the gospel.
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So 2.5 of the 4.5
billion are in a situation
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where they can hear it by radio,
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they may have had
somebody present them
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with the gospel presentation,
we call them the evangelized.
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Two billion are un-evangelized.
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They have no
indigenous church of their own.
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They are what we call,
unreached people group.
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That have majority of them
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have never even
heard the name of Christ.
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And that's astonishing.
That is astonishing.
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First of all it's
pleased me to know that at least
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one third do claim to be--they
go by the name of Christian,
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at least they know the story
of the gospel but to think that,
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it's interesting that
over half of that 4.5 billion
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have heard it and
have not responded.
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So even there,
although we've got those
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two billion people
that have been unreached,
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the 2.5, something's happened
that they haven't seen model,
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something is going on
that to hear this great gospel
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and just reject it,
that's kind of amazing to me.
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I don't know if it's
necessarily rejecting it.
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When we were-- I
think some rejected
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but then this
story came to my mind.
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When we were
working in Thailand,
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we taught in the
English language school
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and then in the evenings
we provided a free Bible class
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in English for those that wanted
to listen to more English.
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And so we would make
it a Bible study thing.
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Several students would come,
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one lady after we
sang, what is the song?
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It was Jesus loves me.
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Like Jesus loves me,
just one of those basic
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Christian songs,
she raised her hand
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and she said, "Who is Jesus?"
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And its that idea that even
though we have churches there,
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there are many different
denominations of church,
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of Christian
churches even in that town,
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she lived in that
town she didn't know Jesus.
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So even in their whole
worldview and everything that
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they live in and they
do is not Christian based.
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So if they are not personally
connected with someone
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that's Christianity they
still have not heard Jesus.
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So it's that point
of, even that 2.5 billion
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that say can be reached
many of them aren't reached
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if someone is not
there to tell them.
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Okay, I
misunderstood when you said,
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I thought you said 2.5
billion had been evangelized
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but you are saying
that they could be.
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It's not necessarily
that they have been reached.
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They are in an area where they
are able to hear the gospel.
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Doesn't mean they
have heard. That's correct.
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Maybe a Christian
radio station broadcast
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in that area it
doesn't mean they have--
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Or 3ABN. That's right.
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They don't have a TV,
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they don't have a radio
but there is the ability to.
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But there's two
billion that don't.
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That's the group that
we are most worry about.
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Two billion that are
like this girl who have said,
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who is Jesus, they
never heard His name.
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And that's--I think the most
disturbing part of the stats
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is that when you look at
what the Christian church
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at large is doing, only 2% to 3%
00:10:11.62\00:10:15.74
of all missionaries go to
reach that two billion people,
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97% of all
missionaries and funding
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goes to the already
evangelized group or even
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to the one third that is
claiming the name of Christian.
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And you can understand, I mean,
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I am assuming that these
two billion are in places
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where it is
difficult to evangelize.
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So it's--when you're
talking about the 2.5 being
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where they could potentially
say, they are sinking.
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Okay, we've got
ground work here we just
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magnify or grow the work
in that area and they are
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not going out into the more
treacherous waters if you will.
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I think we can even
bring up like Myanmar
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or they used to call Burma,
00:11:02.61\00:11:04.30
it's a closed
country at this time.
00:11:04.33\00:11:08.43
But even though we
were not able to go in,
00:11:08.46\00:11:12.21
in traditional ways
and we are praying that
00:11:12.24\00:11:14.14
the Lord will
somehow open things up.
00:11:14.17\00:11:16.73
We think about in
recent past the big tsunami
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that happened in Burma
and maybe approximately
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they are gauging
200,000 people dying
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and they've never
heard about Jesus.
00:11:27.83\00:11:29.99
So this is--and they typical,
the call it the 10/40 Window.
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Right. And I don't know if
you want to explain what the--
00:11:35.92\00:11:37.96
Well, 95% of that two billion
live in that 10/40 Window.
00:11:37.99\00:11:41.56
And please
explain the 10/40 Window.
00:11:41.59\00:11:43.02
The 10/40 Window
it has to do with
00:11:43.05\00:11:44.58
the longitude and latitude line.
00:11:44.61\00:11:46.38
So when you look in a map
and you look at 10 degrees
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and you look at 40 degrees,
it's a box that runs across
00:11:48.88\00:11:51.57
the top of North
Africa and then right through
00:11:51.60\00:11:54.35
the heart of
Asia, through India,
00:11:54.38\00:11:56.27
through China,
through all of that area.
00:11:56.30\00:11:59.23
And that's the region
that not only has the most
00:11:59.26\00:12:02.60
concentration of people
but has the most that have
00:12:02.63\00:12:05.83
never heard of
the name of Christ.
00:12:05.86\00:12:07.83
So there's the starling
statistics that they say
00:12:07.86\00:12:11.45
66,000 people in this
area of unreached die every day
00:12:11.48\00:12:17.07
without knowing of our Christ.
00:12:17.10\00:12:18.13
Without knowing of
Christ. Oh, my God, that's sad.
00:12:18.16\00:12:20.73
So when you look at
all of these statistics
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and it's not
something that you know,
00:12:24.30\00:12:26.57
I praise the Lord
or ministries like 3ABN
00:12:26.60\00:12:29.81
and this opportunity to,
you know, that God has given us,
00:12:29.84\00:12:34.08
He uses this as a tool
of evangelism in His hands.
00:12:34.11\00:12:38.39
And we can reach
every inhabitant continent
00:12:38.42\00:12:42.98
but that doesn't mean that
00:12:43.01\00:12:44.25
everybody is gonna
be able to hear it.
00:12:44.28\00:12:46.43
So how do we, when we
have population growth
00:12:46.46\00:12:53.14
that is accelerating,
this isn't the problem
00:12:53.17\00:12:56.19
that's going to go away
overnight if we keep doing
00:12:56.22\00:12:59.70
business the way
we've been doing business.
00:12:59.73\00:13:02.52
So what you are
saying I assume today that
00:13:02.55\00:13:04.83
we are going to get to
is that there has to be
00:13:04.86\00:13:08.74
a change in what the
church is doing. That's correct.
00:13:08.77\00:13:13.29
I love to think of
3ABN and some of the other
00:13:13.32\00:13:16.62
radio broadcasting or
so forth as the Air Force.
00:13:16.65\00:13:19.91
You know they are
beaming it from on high
00:13:19.94\00:13:22.40
and people are able to pick
it up but any military campaign
00:13:22.43\00:13:26.21
will tell you that unless
you got ground troops you know,
00:13:26.24\00:13:29.50
you are not really--
you can do some damage
00:13:29.53\00:13:32.30
but you need together, they
work together as a nice package.
00:13:32.33\00:13:35.59
So we look at practical--
this is something that
00:13:35.62\00:13:40.47
we dreamed up as we've
been overseas and working.
00:13:40.50\00:13:42.95
And you see masses of
people that don't know Christ
00:13:42.98\00:13:45.19
and you think all
right, let's just stop
00:13:45.22\00:13:47.24
and ask ourselves a
question, how practically,
00:13:47.27\00:13:50.72
how practically can you--can
missionaries reach these people?
00:13:50.75\00:13:55.17
What are just some
of the down to earth,
00:13:55.20\00:13:56.78
most practical
things that can happen?
00:13:56.81\00:13:59.71
And we feel like the first
solution is for God's people
00:13:59.74\00:14:03.08
to feel released to think
and dream of the strategies,
00:14:03.11\00:14:07.42
not to depend upon, its
kind of the first things
00:14:07.45\00:14:09.95
if you want to
talk about solutions,
00:14:09.98\00:14:11.27
not to depend upon--Oh, oh
its another mission offering,
00:14:11.30\00:14:14.65
well, here, here's my $10
00:14:14.68\00:14:16.17
and God bless the missionaries
as they go out to do that.
00:14:16.20\00:14:18.79
But even in that, I
am going to interject
00:14:18.82\00:14:20.76
because I think you know
as Americans we feel like
00:14:20.79\00:14:23.39
we are helping a lot,
and we are but I think
00:14:23.42\00:14:28.31
in finances because
finance isn't everything,
00:14:28.34\00:14:31.11
it doesn't solve everything.
00:14:31.14\00:14:33.16
But there are
interesting stastics in that,
00:14:33.19\00:14:36.42
they said Americans
spent more money last year
00:14:36.45\00:14:40.43
on dog food than
they did on mission.
00:14:40.46\00:14:44.14
So I think you
know, we can do more
00:14:44.17\00:14:46.73
even in the financial
side of things to support.
00:14:46.76\00:14:50.35
And we certainly don't
want to be little anyone
00:14:50.38\00:14:54.25
who is supporting
because there are people,
00:14:54.28\00:14:56.18
we all have different gifts,
00:14:56.21\00:14:57.42
not everyone is called
into the mission field.
00:14:57.45\00:15:00.06
And it is so important that we
are called to be missionaries,
00:15:00.09\00:15:05.45
maybe not so far
away but it is important.
00:15:05.48\00:15:07.98
Some people have
great administrative skills
00:15:08.01\00:15:10.33
and God has given them gifts
and they are good at laying down
00:15:10.36\00:15:14.18
their money to make--
their life to make money
00:15:14.21\00:15:18.37
to be able to
support others who can't go.
00:15:18.40\00:15:20.90
So we are not
trying to be little there.
00:15:20.93\00:15:22.65
Not at all, but
its not in all in all.
00:15:22.68\00:15:24.57
That was my point. Okay.
00:15:24.60\00:15:25.87
But it's not that
we can't say that,
00:15:25.90\00:15:27.82
that's the only way in
that, I don't have to sacrifice
00:15:27.85\00:15:30.78
my time or effort in
some little way to do that.
00:15:30.81\00:15:33.83
And some people want
to give or they want to go
00:15:33.86\00:15:35.97
as full time
missionaries, some can't.
00:15:36.00\00:15:38.08
Some have responsibilities
here in America,
00:15:38.11\00:15:40.51
they got jobs, they got
families they can't do that.
00:15:40.54\00:15:43.27
And so for those we tell,
open your wallet and give it
00:15:43.30\00:15:46.08
to those that are wanting to go
00:15:46.11\00:15:47.88
and be able to support those.
00:15:47.91\00:15:49.41
It's a good partnership.
00:15:49.44\00:15:51.22
And now I have to say
that anyone who's ever gone
00:15:51.25\00:15:54.08
on a mission trip, I know
a number of people who have,
00:15:54.11\00:15:57.58
you know,
businessmen with huge businesses
00:15:57.61\00:15:59.34
and they have taken
their family on a mission trip
00:15:59.37\00:16:02.18
and they all come back
changed and then they come back
00:16:02.21\00:16:04.43
wanting to go on
another and another and another.
00:16:04.46\00:16:06.89
And I always tell
people if you have teenagers
00:16:06.92\00:16:10.07
and you're having
trouble with them send them
00:16:10.10\00:16:11.80
on a mission trip because it's
life changing. It really is.
00:16:11.83\00:16:15.68
I am sitting here
today because I did that.
00:16:15.71\00:16:17.85
I took a year as a
student missionary.
00:16:17.88\00:16:19.84
And I wouldn't be a pastor,
I would not be doing this
00:16:19.87\00:16:22.72
if that experience of
running from village to village
00:16:22.75\00:16:26.10
in Thailand with
people begging us,
00:16:26.13\00:16:28.45
please tell us
about this creator God.
00:16:28.48\00:16:30.83
We've never heard of Him, we
don't know anything about Him.
00:16:30.86\00:16:34.05
Please stay in our village.
00:16:34.08\00:16:35.35
And to hear that over
and over and over again
00:16:35.38\00:16:38.23
it just changed me.
00:16:38.26\00:16:39.61
But I bet you were just
always a really good kid,
00:16:39.64\00:16:42.05
never got into any trouble.
00:16:42.08\00:16:43.78
Too bad, no. No. I am wrong?
00:16:43.81\00:16:45.84
No, this was a
time that God said,
00:16:45.87\00:16:48.99
get out of, the all the stuff
00:16:49.02\00:16:50.70
you are doing
that's not appropriate
00:16:50.73\00:16:53.05
and I am gonna put you
in a place where I am gonna
00:16:53.08\00:16:55.15
change you and help you
to see the world as I see it.
00:16:55.18\00:16:57.58
And I was-- I am
so thankful of that
00:16:57.61\00:16:58.98
even though that was a
very difficult experience.
00:16:59.01\00:17:01.06
Sometimes in seeing that someone
else's need is greater than
00:17:01.09\00:17:04.72
your own it gets you
out of looking at yourself.
00:17:04.75\00:17:08.14
Absolutely. Absolutely.
00:17:08.17\00:17:09.97
Now I had-- a one
person who told me
00:17:10.00\00:17:12.06
that their child
was so disconnected from
00:17:12.09\00:17:15.38
family and church and
connected on the internet.
00:17:15.41\00:17:17.86
I mean, you know,
on the mobile phone,
00:17:17.89\00:17:19.39
always text messaging
and just kind of had this
00:17:19.42\00:17:22.82
little cocoon
life on wire. Yes. Yes.
00:17:22.85\00:17:26.26
I mean, wire but not wireless,
whatever, they were totally
00:17:26.29\00:17:31.64
unapproachable until they
sent him on a mission trip.
00:17:31.67\00:17:34.35
He came back and all
of a sudden he realized
00:17:34.38\00:17:36.69
all of these
things were, you know,
00:17:36.72\00:17:39.40
the materialistic things
were of very little importance.
00:17:39.43\00:17:42.91
Wow. That is really good.
00:17:42.94\00:17:44.74
We encourage, you know,
00:17:44.77\00:17:47.01
through LIFE we encourage
people to dream the dreams.
00:17:47.04\00:17:50.67
You know, let God
dream His dreams through you.
00:17:50.70\00:17:54.06
That's the big one is
that-- and the point that
00:17:54.09\00:17:57.07
I was getting to is
don't just think that
00:17:57.10\00:17:59.32
the church organization
is gonna take care of it all.
00:17:59.35\00:18:02.61
We are the
church, we are Ecclesia,
00:18:02.64\00:18:04.98
in New Testament it
means the called out ones.
00:18:05.01\00:18:07.04
That's the word we use in
the New Testament for church.
00:18:07.07\00:18:09.51
That's us, it's
not a building it's us.
00:18:09.54\00:18:12.48
And He's calling us.
00:18:12.51\00:18:13.70
He's saying, go
therefore in your little way,
00:18:13.73\00:18:16.06
whether you are
supporting finically,
00:18:16.09\00:18:18.16
whether you can go
yourself, just make it happen
00:18:18.19\00:18:21.24
because He's very
serious about making disciple.
00:18:21.27\00:18:23.19
And, you know,
Ken, what I've noticed
00:18:23.22\00:18:25.16
when I go out and
teach and preach is that
00:18:25.19\00:18:27.76
everyone realizes that
there's so many of the things
00:18:27.79\00:18:32.79
that Jesus said would happen
before His return are happening.
00:18:32.82\00:18:35.81
You know, the
increased earthquakes,
00:18:35.84\00:18:37.23
the increased
famines, the trouble,
00:18:37.26\00:18:40.17
the wars but Matthew
24:14 cuts the bottom line
00:18:40.20\00:18:45.65
and there's many people
who are anxious for His return
00:18:45.68\00:18:48.42
because they are
tired of this world
00:18:48.45\00:18:52.52
and the degradation of the world
00:18:52.55\00:18:54.80
and the downturn of the world.
00:18:54.83\00:18:56.23
But they want to
see Jesus return.
00:18:56.26\00:18:58.66
But He made it
very perfectly clear,
00:18:58.69\00:19:00.89
it's not until He says,
this gospel will be preached
00:19:00.92\00:19:04.19
in all the nations
then the end will come.
00:19:04.22\00:19:07.69
So we are still,
we praise the Lord
00:19:07.72\00:19:11.15
for the modern technology
that we have to reach people
00:19:11.18\00:19:15.94
but we still need to
get more foot soldiers
00:19:15.97\00:19:18.68
on the ground as you said.
00:19:18.71\00:19:20.11
So how some of
the practicals ways
00:19:20.14\00:19:22.64
that we can get people
involved in doing this?
00:19:22.67\00:19:27.41
Well, go ahead and
say. I am exploding.
00:19:27.44\00:19:29.29
We've been talking a
lot about going overseas
00:19:29.32\00:19:33.34
but I think the point
when you said lot of people
00:19:33.37\00:19:36.44
are unable to go
overseas and taking it down
00:19:36.47\00:19:39.64
to the very practical,
I am here in whatever city
00:19:39.67\00:19:44.04
that I am asking
the Lord, what can I do
00:19:44.07\00:19:48.30
I have neighbors all around me.
00:19:48.33\00:19:50.82
I work with
people that don't know
00:19:50.85\00:19:53.11
about Jesus, hearding people.
00:19:53.14\00:19:55.26
Everywhere I go, I
go to the grocery store
00:19:55.29\00:19:57.97
and I see people
that are herding.
00:19:58.00\00:20:00.24
Lord, how can I reach the people
00:20:00.27\00:20:02.66
around me, reach their needs?
00:20:02.69\00:20:04.59
So I think it even
comes down just to the--
00:20:04.62\00:20:07.58
to your everyday life of having
00:20:07.61\00:20:10.90
your everyday life
being a mission for.
00:20:10.93\00:20:15.00
I am a
missionary what will I live
00:20:15.03\00:20:17.23
and it impacting your community.
00:20:17.26\00:20:19.85
And you know, I have to
just say one thing here.
00:20:19.88\00:20:23.17
I believe very strongly that if
you pray for divine appointment
00:20:23.20\00:20:27.36
God is going to give
you-- now give you one.
00:20:27.39\00:20:29.55
Some of us are-- I am
a little bit intimated
00:20:29.58\00:20:32.32
about just violating
someone else's personal space.
00:20:32.35\00:20:36.56
But when I pray
for divine appointment,
00:20:36.59\00:20:38.71
the Lord always
opens up the way.
00:20:38.74\00:20:41.84
And there are times that He
just puts the holy bonus on me,
00:20:41.87\00:20:44.81
I will be in line somewhere
00:20:44.84\00:20:46.49
and He will say,
Pray for that person.
00:20:46.52\00:20:48.28
And you go up to
him and you think, okay,
00:20:48.31\00:20:50.69
Lord, I trust this
as you're speaking.
00:20:50.72\00:20:52.57
You go up to him
and say, you know,
00:20:52.60\00:20:53.88
I really feel impress the
Lord, is there anything that
00:20:53.91\00:20:56.69
I might pray for you about?
00:20:56.72\00:20:58.30
And people will but also as
you pray for diving appointments
00:20:58.33\00:21:01.61
I've had people come
up to me and just say,
00:21:01.64\00:21:04.76
you know, if you got
that missionary minds,
00:21:04.79\00:21:06.88
I've had people
come up to me and say
00:21:06.91\00:21:09.47
there's something
different about you,
00:21:09.50\00:21:11.13
you tell me about it or I
believe you are a Christian,
00:21:11.16\00:21:13.91
can you tell me
answer to such and such.
00:21:13.94\00:21:15.83
God opens the way, doesn't'
He? Praise the Lord. He does.
00:21:15.86\00:21:18.42
And I think even, you know,
00:21:18.45\00:21:19.95
we think about being
a missionary it's always
00:21:19.98\00:21:22.10
right away I've got
to tell them about Jesus.
00:21:22.13\00:21:24.58
But I think its starts out with
00:21:24.61\00:21:26.80
a relationship,
a friendship first.
00:21:26.83\00:21:29.30
I'll never forget
when we were living
00:21:29.33\00:21:32.14
in Palau, it's in Micronesia.
00:21:32.17\00:21:34.41
I was--I always
go to the same stores
00:21:34.44\00:21:37.40
and there's this,
usually the same checkout lady.
00:21:37.43\00:21:40.40
It was only two stores.
00:21:40.43\00:21:42.40
So I was building
relationship with her
00:21:42.43\00:21:43.61
and one day I asked
her, what are you plans?
00:21:43.64\00:21:49.33
You know, what--
why do you work here?
00:21:49.36\00:21:51.78
Where do you--you
know that kind of thing.
00:21:51.81\00:21:53.60
And she started to open
up a little bit and as we had
00:21:53.63\00:21:56.41
our conversation she
told me about her dreams
00:21:56.44\00:21:58.94
and what she wanted to
do and I encouraged her.
00:21:58.97\00:22:02.45
And I didn't think about
that little conversation we had.
00:22:02.48\00:22:05.74
But at the end
she said, thank you,
00:22:05.77\00:22:07.90
so much for asking about me.
00:22:07.93\00:22:10.35
I could tell, you know,
she goes there every day
00:22:10.38\00:22:13.01
and interacts with people
but no one making that next step
00:22:13.04\00:22:17.06
to be really interested
in who that person is.
00:22:17.09\00:22:20.52
So it's taking that, observing
and taking that next step.
00:22:20.55\00:22:24.31
Oh, and how we all
need to be more interested
00:22:24.34\00:22:28.01
in the other
person and you know,
00:22:28.04\00:22:30.22
our lives are so
frantic that the pace of life
00:22:30.25\00:22:34.85
has accelerated it seems
to me so much that sometimes,
00:22:34.88\00:22:39.31
you know, I
always try to be mindful
00:22:39.34\00:22:41.08
when I jumping out of
the car, not to just put on
00:22:41.11\00:22:44.46
a Christian face but
to really have that--
00:22:44.49\00:22:50.35
be approachable
and to be interested
00:22:50.38\00:22:52.19
in other people
because it's so easy.
00:22:52.22\00:22:54.18
Sometimes that you
got two minutes to run
00:22:54.21\00:22:56.87
into a store and out and it's
easy to rush in and rush out
00:22:56.90\00:23:01.02
and ignore somebody
whose heart's breaking.
00:23:01.05\00:23:04.31
Jesus wants us
to get the job done.
00:23:04.34\00:23:06.39
That's so we come back to
after we talked about all this.
00:23:06.42\00:23:09.67
I mean He is passionate
about us going whether
00:23:09.70\00:23:13.81
it's your neighborhood,
whether it's overseas.
00:23:13.84\00:23:16.42
God has a different
call for every one of us.
00:23:16.45\00:23:18.67
Not everybody suppose to get up,
00:23:18.70\00:23:19.96
run overseas but the
point is, go make disciples.
00:23:19.99\00:23:25.09
I want to wrap up
with something that I feel
00:23:25.12\00:23:28.98
is very significant from
the Old Testament to us today.
00:23:29.01\00:23:33.33
When the Israelites were
asked to go conquer Canaan
00:23:33.36\00:23:36.39
in Joshua 1:3,
Jesus, which we believe
00:23:36.42\00:23:43.53
the Son of God was the one
that came and talk to Joshua
00:23:43.56\00:23:46.72
and commission him
Himself, you know, before.
00:23:46.75\00:23:50.29
And it says in
verse 3, "Every place that
00:23:50.32\00:23:52.66
the sole of your
foot shall tread upon,
00:23:52.69\00:23:54.99
I have given you
as I said to Moses."
00:23:55.02\00:23:58.37
Amen. All right.
00:23:58.40\00:23:59.43
He gave him unrestricted,
00:23:59.46\00:24:00.75
you go into Canaan,
you get this job done.
00:24:00.78\00:24:03.33
You conquer the land.
00:24:03.36\00:24:04.73
And we also know that
from this that every place
00:24:04.76\00:24:07.55
that the sole of your
foot, that means if you don't go
00:24:07.58\00:24:10.74
all the way it's
not given to you.
00:24:10.77\00:24:12.52
It's only as
your advancing, okay.
00:24:12.55\00:24:14.86
That's good. Now
it's perfect because
00:24:14.89\00:24:16.68
then you find in
Judges Chapter 1,
00:24:16.71\00:24:18.90
I have a heading in Judges 1:27.
00:24:18.93\00:24:22.19
And my heading above it says,
00:24:22.22\00:24:23.61
"Incomplete
conquest of the land." Amen.
00:24:23.64\00:24:26.77
And then it goes on
to tell how Manasseh
00:24:26.80\00:24:28.98
did not drive
out the inhabitance.
00:24:29.01\00:24:30.72
In verse 29,
Ephraim didn't drive out
00:24:30.75\00:24:33.05
nor did Zebulun, verse 30.
00:24:33.08\00:24:34.58
verse 31, Asher
didn't drive them out.
00:24:34.61\00:24:36.47
Verse 32, Naphtali,
it goes down telling
00:24:36.50\00:24:38.69
the tribes didn't do
what God had asked then to do.
00:24:38.72\00:24:42.74
Now I want to
read you something.
00:24:42.77\00:24:44.26
This is from Testimonies from
a Christian writer, Ellen White.
00:24:44.29\00:24:47.91
She said, "When the
Israelites entered Canaan,
00:24:47.94\00:24:51.10
they did not
fulfill God's purpose
00:24:51.13\00:24:52.96
by taking
possession of the whole land.
00:24:52.99\00:24:55.62
After making a partial conquest,
00:24:55.65\00:24:58.31
they settled down to enjoy
the fruit of their victories.
00:24:58.34\00:25:01.97
In their
unbelief and love of ease,
00:25:02.00\00:25:04.74
they congregated in the
portions already conquered
00:25:04.77\00:25:08.18
instead of pushing
forward to occupy new territory.
00:25:08.21\00:25:12.21
Thus they began
to depart from God.
00:25:12.24\00:25:14.71
By their failure to
carry out His purpose,
00:25:14.74\00:25:17.24
they made it impossible for Him
00:25:17.27\00:25:18.97
to fulfill to them
His promise of blessing."
00:25:19.00\00:25:21.77
But then she says this
00:25:21.80\00:25:23.33
"Is not the church of
today doing the same thing?
00:25:23.36\00:25:27.43
With the whole world before
them in need of the gospel,
00:25:27.46\00:25:30.35
professed Christians
congregate where they
00:25:30.38\00:25:32.28
themselves can
enjoy gospel privileges.
00:25:32.31\00:25:34.78
They do not feel the necessity
of occupying new territory,
00:25:34.81\00:25:37.48
carrying the message of
salvation to the regions beyond.
00:25:37.51\00:25:41.18
They refuse to
fulfill Christ's commission,
00:25:41.21\00:25:43.73
Go into all the world."
00:25:43.76\00:25:45.18
That is so true and
such a sad state of affairs
00:25:45.21\00:25:48.90
but often you'll go
into a church where you find
00:25:48.93\00:25:52.55
it has had so little
growth and they are just
00:25:52.58\00:25:55.68
quite content to
stay like they are.
00:25:55.71\00:25:59.94
And if a church
isn't growing it's dying.
00:25:59.97\00:26:02.03
You know, it's just nothing
more really than a country club,
00:26:02.06\00:26:05.09
an association, a
group of fellowship.
00:26:05.12\00:26:08.74
So it's such an important
thing to do and I thank you,
00:26:08.77\00:26:12.80
that you've come to
make us aware of this
00:26:12.83\00:26:15.80
and to kind of stir
the waters up a little bit
00:26:15.83\00:26:18.78
and make each one of us
need to pray to become involved.
00:26:18.81\00:26:23.94
Now were you in
missionary work before
00:26:23.97\00:26:27.01
you met your
husband Ken, Julie, or?
00:26:27.04\00:26:29.73
No, I-- So you met
and went into mission.
00:26:29.76\00:26:32.52
But I married her
because she told me when we met,
00:26:32.55\00:26:34.48
she want to be a missionary.
00:26:34.51\00:26:35.63
So I said, oh,
that's it. All right.
00:26:35.66\00:26:37.77
That's not the only
reason you married her.
00:26:37.80\00:26:39.19
Oh no. No. But it was great.
00:26:39.22\00:26:42.76
Thank you so much for
being here today, Julie and Ken.
00:26:42.79\00:26:46.54
Thanks. And you will come back.
00:26:46.57\00:26:48.27
Yes. All right.
00:26:48.30\00:26:49.81
You know for those of you at
home what we were talking about
00:26:49.84\00:26:53.29
today is the
condition of the world
00:26:53.32\00:26:56.93
and the unfinished business,
God's unfinished business.
00:26:56.96\00:27:01.02
And He chooses
to do it through us.
00:27:01.05\00:27:03.56
So the Lord is calling
each and every one of us.
00:27:03.59\00:27:06.55
And if only, it doesn't matter
00:27:06.58\00:27:07.72
if you live in the Unites States
where only 17% are actually
00:27:07.75\00:27:11.47
attending church or
if you live in England
00:27:11.50\00:27:15.16
or probably even
fewer it doesn't matter
00:27:15.19\00:27:18.57
where you live around the world.
00:27:18.60\00:27:20.53
God wants you to share
the good news, to be a light.
00:27:20.56\00:27:25.94
Don't hide your
light under a bush.
00:27:25.97\00:27:28.40
If you have personal
relationship with Jesus
00:27:28.43\00:27:31.51
and you know Him, go
out and share Him today.
00:27:31.54\00:27:36.01
Now may the grace
of our Lord Jesus,
00:27:36.04\00:27:39.16
the fellowship of the
Holy Spirit and the love of God
00:27:39.19\00:27:43.21
be with you today and always.
00:27:43.24\00:27:45.89
And may you go
out in all authority
00:27:45.92\00:27:49.22
and tell someone what
Jesus has done for you.
00:27:49.25\00:27:52.39